Forensic Science: Crime on File #3: JonBenet Ramsey
JonBenet Ramsey: Who Did It?
Patsy and John Ramsey were in the upper crust of Boulder, Colorado, society. In the span of five short years, John had built his computer company into a billion-dollar corporation. In addition to financial success, the Ramseys also had a beautiful 6-year-old daughter, JonBenet.
Just after five a.m. on December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey awoke and walked downstairs to her kitchen. At the foot of the staircase, she found a two-and-a-half page note saying that JonBenet had been kidnapped. The note contained a ransom demand of $118,000. When the police arrived to investigate, it was quite apparent to all that JonBenet was missing.
In retrospect, some serious mistakes were made in securing the crime scene - the Ramsey household. Initially, the police conducted a cursory search of the house, but failed to find JonBenet. The house was not sealed off; in fact, four friends along with the Ramsey pastor were let into the home and allowed to move about at will. John was permitted to leave the premises unattended for one and a half hours. One hour after his return, John and two of his friends searched the house again. This time John went down into the basement, where he discovered JonBenet's body. He removed a white blanket from JonBenet and carried her upstairs, placing the body on the living room floor.
The murder of JonBenet Ramsey remains as baffling a mystery today as it was on its first day. Ample physical evidence supports the theory that the crime was committed by an outsider, as well as the competing theory that JonBenet was murdered by someone who resided in the Ramsey household. Perhaps better care at securing and processing the crime scene could have resolved some of the crime's outstanding questions.
JonBenet Ramsey: Who Did It?
Patsy and John Ramsey were in the upper crust of Boulder, Colorado, society. In the span of five short years, John had built his computer company into a billion-dollar corporation. In addition to financial success, the Ramseys also had a beautiful 6-year-old daughter, JonBenet.
Just after five a.m. on December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey awoke and walked downstairs to her kitchen. At the foot of the staircase, she found a two-and-a-half page note saying that JonBenet had been kidnapped. The note contained a ransom demand of $118,000. When the police arrived to investigate, it was quite apparent to all that JonBenet was missing.
In retrospect, some serious mistakes were made in securing the crime scene - the Ramsey household. Initially, the police conducted a cursory search of the house, but failed to find JonBenet. The house was not sealed off; in fact, four friends along with the Ramsey pastor were let into the home and allowed to move about at will. John was permitted to leave the premises unattended for one and a half hours. One hour after his return, John and two of his friends searched the house again. This time John went down into the basement, where he discovered JonBenet's body. He removed a white blanket from JonBenet and carried her upstairs, placing the body on the living room floor.
The murder of JonBenet Ramsey remains as baffling a mystery today as it was on its first day. Ample physical evidence supports the theory that the crime was committed by an outsider, as well as the competing theory that JonBenet was murdered by someone who resided in the Ramsey household. Perhaps better care at securing and processing the crime scene could have resolved some of the crime's outstanding questions.